Distant Cousins
by Miriam42
Summary: When the Doctor finds an orphan on a remote planet, he finds himself in the role of mentor. And, of course, fights off blood-sucking monsters.


It wasn't, in fact, a dark and stormy night. It was late afternoon. But it was stormy. Horrible weather like this was common in springtime on Enor. Locals generally stayed inside for days on end during this season, leading to a rash of ennui and bad songs that was only broken by the hot season when both suns pounded down and it was too hot to think.

Which wasn't really missed on Enor.

When The Doctor opened the door to the TARDIS, he was immediately drenched.

"Where are we?" Rose asked.

The Doctor turned around. "Enor," he said. "Lovely weather this time of year."

Mickey and Rose snickered and went to find rain gear. Soon they were fighting their way through the sheets of rain. "There's nothing out here!" Mickey said, pushing against the gale.

The Doctor stopped and pointed. A figure became visible in the downpour, carrying a lantern. "There's something," he said.

The figure approached and pulled back her hood. She was a young woman, although it was hard to see much more in the dim lantern light. She looked over the group, then asked. "Are any of you my parents?"

"What?" asked the Doctor incredulously.

She shook her head. "Follow me," she said.

Soon they were in a small shed, full of odd contraptions, diagrams, and pictures of young men. It had the feeling of a very nerdy kid's clubhouse. She led them inside and turned on some more lamps. It was relatively warm and dry. The girl took her cloak off and they could get a better look at her. "I'm Georda," she said, looking at them expectantly.

They returned blank stares.

"Nice to meet you," offered Rose.

"That name doesn't mean anything to you?" she said.

Rose looked over at the Doctor to see if he was going to respond. He wasn't paying attention; he was looking at all the drawings and diagrams posted around the walls. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to Georda. "I'm sorry, it doesn't," she said.  
The Doctor spied a device in one corner. Frowning, he walked over to it and put on his specs. "Where did you get this?" he asked.  
"I built it," Georda answered.  
He squinted at her. "You built this? By yourself?"  
Georda nodded. "Well, I did have this." She held up a worn journal.  
The Doctor took it and started flipping through it. "Who gave you this?" he demanded.  
"My parents, apparently," Georda said.  
"Who are your parents?" he asked.  
"I was hoping you knew," she answered, a little annoyed.  
"What's wrong?" Rose asked the Doctor.  
"This machine. It's a beacon. It's what drew us here." the Doctor answered. "But she shouldn't be able to build this." He kept looking through the journal, shaking his head. "Where are your parents from?"  
"I don't know. My adoptive parents found me literally on a doorstep when I was about 6 months old. I had the clothes I was wearing, a gold necklace with a note saying that they could sell it to pay for my care, and this journal. The diagrams in there took me years to figure out. There's not exactly a lot of engineering books here. But I built it, hoping it would call my parents like the journal said it would. But I guess they really are dead."  
The Doctor looked at her for a long moment. "I'm sorry," he said finally. "But we're definitely not your parents."  
Georda laughed. "I suppose not," she said. She looked out the window. "Looks like the rain's stopped. I can walk you back to your...box."  
They all stood and walked awkwardly back through the mud to the TARDIS. The Doctor stopped at the door. "Well, good luck," he said. "I hope you find your parents." He unlocked the door, opened it, and stopped. He sighed.  
"Just one question," he said reluctantly. "Is there anything...different about you?"  
Georda snorted. "Pretty much everything," she said.  
"I mean physically," he said. "Anything...odd? Double jointed, extra toe, vestigial tail?"  
"No, not really," she said.  
The Doctor nodded and smiled. "Well, then, cheers," he said, and started into the TARDIS.  
"I mean, I have two hearts, but that's not really that different," she added.  
The Doctor froze. Rose and Mickey stared at each other, then the Doctor, in disbelief.  
"Why isn't that different?" Rose asked.  
"Well, they told me that it's a perfectly normal mutation," Georda answered. "Apparently about ten percent of the people on Enor have it."  
"Have you ever met anyone else with two hearts?" The Doctor asked.  
"No," she answered.  
"You have now," Mickey answered. Rose elbowed him.  
The Doctor sighed. "Come in," he said, showing her into the TARDIS. "Wipe your feet!" he added.

Elsewhere on Enor, Streph walked out of his house to check the barn. The rain had finally let up and he wanted to check the new roof he had just put on, to see how well it had held up during the storm. But when he opened the barn door, the roof was the least of his worries.  
All of his cows were dead.  
They lay in the hay, looking completely flat, with small lumps here and there. It was as if someone had taken everything out of them except the bones.  
This was impossible. He had been in this very barn just an hour ago. He bent down to check the carcasses. They were completely drained. What could have done this?  
He heard a noise behind him, turned around, and solved the mystery of his cows' fate as he joined them.

As she walked in, she looked around in amazement. "It's bigger..." she said.  
"On the inside, yes," the Doctor said. "Neat trick."  
Rose and Mickey just stood by, watching. "Do you think she's...you know?" Mickey whispered to Rose.  
"I don't know," she answered.  
"Stand here," he ordered, pointing to a spot next to the control panel. He took her hand and placed it on a pad, then pushed a few buttons and waited, staring at a screen and saying nothing.  
Finally, it pinged. The Doctor read the results, but was still silent.  
"Is she--" Rose said.  
The Doctor nodded.  
"Well, that's good, isn't it?" Rose asked.  
"Am I what?" Georda asked.  
The Doctor looked up at her. "You're not human," he said. He took a deep breath. "You're a Time Lord, from the planet Gallifrey. I'm sorry to tell you that your birth parents are almost certainly dead." He corrected himself. "Well, not even almost certainly. Quite certainly. I mean they're dead." He looked back at Georda. "I'm sorry."  
Georda blinked at him for a moment, stunned. "What does that even mean?" she asked.  
The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "Which part?"  
Just then, a loud bell rang outside. Georda leapt to her feet. "It's time for the common meal. I have to be there. Come on, you can be my guests."  
She walked out. Mickey and Rose looked at the Doctor, who smiled enthusiastically. "Who's hungry?" he said, and followed Georda.

They walked into a large cabin which was full of long tables. As Georda walked through the room, she greeted everyone she passed with friendly hugs and warm handshakes. The place was quite crowded with people, farmers in simple clothes, but plenty of families.  
On the walls were monitors showing family pictures and announcing events and such. "Congratulations Ellie and Dzienin on your engagement," "Cookie swap at Anita's March 22 at 6pm," and "LOST: Kitten. Answers to Kiki. Call Zeena with information."  
An older couple called out to Georda. She waved and worked her way over to them.  
"Mummy and Poppa, meet my friends," she said.  
All three waved awkwardly while Georda introduced them. The Doctor extended a hand, which Georda's father shook.  
"Nice to meet you," Georda's father said. "I'm Dand, and this is my wife Edele."  
"I'm the Doctor," said the Doctor.  
"Are you from Georda's planet?" Edele asked, cheerfully.  
The Doctor answered, "Well....we're still figuring that out."  
"Are they your...?" Dand asked Georda.  
"No," the Doctor answered quickly. "But we'll let you know what we come up with."  
"Berger's up there already, Georda," Dand said. "You should get a move on, too."  
"Our Georda's one of the elders," Edele told the Doctor, proudly.  
"How old is she?" Rose asked.  
"Twenty-eight," Dand said.  
"And she's an elder?" Mickey said.  
"She's quite clever. She kept coming up with so many brilliant ideas, and solving so many problems, that we voted her in," Edele said.  
"Come on," Georda said. "I have to get up there." As she led her group on, the Doctor did some calculations in his head, factoring in the revolution year of Enor and a few other numbers. He sighed when he got his answer. This wasn't going to be easy.

At the front of the room was a table with several old men and women sitting at it. Georda worked her way up to the front table. She pointed to another table near the front. "You can sit here. It's the guest table. We've got some business and then we'll eat. Roast beef tonight. It's fantastic." She left them to take her place in the front.  
The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey sat down. "This is cozy," the Doctor said. "I may go mad."  
Mickey leaned over to Rose, and whispered in her ear. "So if she's a Time Lord, too, what do you think this means?" he asked.  
"What do you mean?" Rose asked.  
"Well, you know," he said awkwardly. "He's a Time Lord, and she's a Time Lord..."  
Rose frowned. "I can't believe you're thinking that," she said.  
One of the old men, Berger, banged a gavel and everyone quieted. "Welcome all. We've got a few announcements and then we'll get to eating. Roast beef tonight, as I understand."  
"It's apparently fantastic," the Doctor muttered to Rose, who rolled her eyes at him affectionately.  
The elder continued. "Georda, you have some guests today?"  
Georda stood. "Yes, these are my friends..."  
The Doctor stood and waved. "Hullo," he said genially. "I'm the Doctor. And this is Rose and Mickey."  
Everyone greeted them back cheerfully.  
"They're here to help me figure out some more about my past," she said. "Apparently I'm from the planet Gal-something." The crowd nodded and made appreciative noises.  
The Doctor slid back down into his seat. "In all my travels, this is quite possibly the most frightening place I've ever been to," he muttered.  
Suddenly the door banged open. A woman ran in, looking terrified. The Doctor looked up instantly and Rose thought she detected a smile.  
"What's wrong, Elina?" Rils, another of the elders, took her hands and helped her to a seat.  
"It's Streph," she said. "He's dead."  
The crowd gasped collectively. "What happened?" Berger asked.  
"I don't know," Elina said, now beginning to cry. "He's just...empty."  
The Doctor and Rose looked at each other. "Empty?" Mickey said.  
"Come with me," The Doctor said to Georda, Mickey, and Rose. "Everyone else stay inside." They hurried out to Streph's farm.

Streph had suffered the same fate as his cows. He was drained of everything but skin and bones. The Doctor strode over to the body and started looking it over.  
"What happened?" asked Rose.  
"Something ate him," the Doctor said, crouching down to inspect the remains more closely. "And spit out the shells."  
"Do you know what did this?" Georda asked. She stared at the floppy cows and farmer in horror.  
"It looks like a Culcidonomus," he answered. "But I didn't think they lived out here."  
"I know I've never seen anything like this around here," Georda said. "What is it?"  
"They're giant bugs that feed on any mammal. They basically suck all the soft tissue out. Then they lay eggs and then the larvae feed, too," the Doctor answered.  
Georda's face went white. "Laying eggs?"  
"Yep," the Doctor answered. "The only thing is, I didn't think the Culcidonomi came out this far...unless something...attracted them." He leapt up and turned to Georda. "Let me see that journal," he ordered, holding his hand out.  
She handed it to him and he flipped through it. "Ah ha!" he said. "Your beacon. It's set far too wide -- who did these designs? -- it called me, yes, but everyone else in the universe will be stopping by to say hello soon. Is it still on?"  
Georda nodded. "I think so."  
"Then we need to turn it off. Now," he said, and started running over to Georda's shed. When she didn't follow, he stopped. "Are you coming?"  
She was frozen to the spot. "I don't want to do this anymore," she said quietly.  
"I need you to come with me," the Doctor said sternly. "We cannot let this bug lay her eggs, or we will have millions on our hands I need your help."  
"No," she said. "I don't want to."  
He strode over to her and looked her in the eye. "Young lady," he said, "I know you're scared, but right now you are going to come with us, or there are going to be consequences. Am I making myself clear?"  
Georda nodded.  
"Good," he said. "Now let us into your shed right now."  
She nodded again and led the way. As she passed, Rose gave the Doctor a strange look, but he didn't respond.

As they hurried across the field, they heard a loud buzzing noise. "Get down!" the Doctor cried. They all rushed under a wagon as a huge bug came swooping down at them. Rose reached up and grabbed a pitchfork. She used it to poke at the bug so it couldn't get under at them. Mickey and the Doctor pulled down hay to build walls around them and create a makeshift shelter.  
The buzzing was muffled, but the bug was still out there. Every once in a while, the bug would push through and Rose stabbed at it until Mickey and the Doctor could fill the hole.  
Georda was curled up near a wheel, sobbing.  
"If there's one out there, there's a hundred," the Doctor said. "We need to kill it."  
"What are we going to do, squish it?" Mickey asked.  
"Spray it!" Rose said, stabbing with the pitchfork again.  
"Brilliant!" the Doctor said. "Georda, do you have pesticides?"  
She didn't answer.  
"Georda!" he repeated.  
"Yes," she said. "But they're way over in the pole barn."  
The Doctor looked out a hole. "We can make it," he said. "Mickey, grab another pitchfork. Let's go."  
Georda didn't move. "But I can't!" she protested. "Please don't make me."  
Everyone stopped and looked at the Doctor to see what he was going to do.  
The Doctor sighed and crouched down to talk to Georda. "I know you're frightened, but this is something you have to do."  
"But why?" she whined.  
"Well, for one thing, you're an Elder. Your job is to protect your people."  
Georda thought about that for a moment. "But why can't one of the other Elders do it?"  
"Because you're a Time Lord," the Doctor answered.  
"Why is that important?" she asked.  
"The Time Lords were a great people. We ruled over time itself. It was our job to keep the Universe running safely. It was our duty. And we never shirked, even when our very existence was at stake," the Doctor explained, his eyes distant.  
"Why are you using the past tense?" she said suspiciously.  
The bug bumped against the hay again. "Doctor!" Mickey said.  
"There was a war," the Doctor said, eyes darting over to the straw. "They're all gone now, except me."  
"Why did you survive?" she asked.  
"It wasn't my plan, believe me," he said.  
"And why did I?"  
"Your mother must have run off to bring you here. She wasn't supposed to. She exposed the Enor to a huge risk. The creatures that destroyed Gallifrey could have followed her here and destroyed Enor as well."  
"Destroyed?" Georda asked.  
"Every person on this planet has already risked their lives to protect you, whether they know it or not. Now you have to protect them. That's your duty," he said.  
Georda was silent for a long moment. Finally, she stood up. "All right," she said. "I'm ready."  
"Good girl," the Doctor said. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Let's go!" Mickey said. They all braced to head out.  
"Wait!" Georda said.  
Everyone stopped again.  
"What?" The Doctor said.  
"We need to go back to the common house and seal it up. That much pesticide would kill them, too," Georda said.  
Mickey and Rose looked to the Doctor. "Right. Rose, you go to the common house. Georda, you go turn off your beacon, and then join me in the pole barn. Mickey, just try to keep anyone from getting eaten."  
With one last look, they hurried out at once.  
The Culcidonomus was out there, waiting.  
Fortunately, they were all scurrying different directions. The Culcidonomus went after Rose first, but she repelled it with her pitchfork. It went to the Doctor next, who hit a setting on his sonic screwdriver and shot out a high pitched noise, which caused the creature to keep its distance.  
It switched over to Georda, who got the door to her shed shut just in time.

When the Doctor got into the pole barn, he saw vats and bins of various chemicals. He quickly went searching through them for what he needed. The door opened and he jumped behind a large tank to shield himself, until he saw that it was Georda.  
"Wasn't sure you were going to come," he said.  
"This is crazy," she said. She stopped and looked at the Doctor's face "You look almost happy."  
He grinned like a little boy. "Yeah, this is great!" he said.  
"You're the strangest person I've ever met," she said.  
"Excellent," he said. "Now, I found the right chemical. We just need a way to get the bug with it."  
"We've got sprayers, but they're all for spraying crops. On the ground, not in the air," Georda countered. "This isn't going to work." She sat down, giving up.  
"Stop it," the Doctor said. "That will kill us faster than the Culcidonomus. You're one of the most intelligent beings in the universe. Come up with an idea."  
Georda blinked. "Turn it upside down," she said, standing up. "Mount it on something." She smiled and rushed off to get the materials.  
"Good girl," he said.

Back at the common house, Mickey and Rose were helping the Enorites seal up the windows with tape and towels. The Elders assured them that the vents were closed.  
"I'm just saying," Mickey said. "It's like that old line, not if you were the last person on Earth. Except now it's the last Time Lord in the Universe."  
"I don't even want to think about that. This is the Doctor you're talking about, not a horse or something!"  
"Fine," Mickey said. "Just trying to think about the future, is all."  
"Let's just get through this, first, all right?" said Rose peevishly.  
Mickey just shrugged. Typical.

Georda and the Doctor were finishing up a rig that had an irrigation sprayer upside down on top of a large tractor. It connected to a large tank of pesticide by a long hose. The tractor had enough hose to drive out of the barn, but not go much further.  
"I'll drive it out," the Doctor said, putting on a gas mask. "You turn on the gas."  
Georda, also wearing a gas mask, gave him the thumbs up.  
As soon as she opened the door, the Culcidonomus swooped at her. With a shriek, Georda flopped to the ground and crawled inside as the Doctor drove the tractor out into place. He then dove down and ran back into the barn.  
Georda turned on the sprayer.  
And nothing happened. She looked at the Doctor in panic.  
He immediately went over to the computer on the tank. "It doesn't like the mix. It won't spray it."  
"It's a safety feature," Georda said. "So we don't accidentally poison the crop."  
The Doctor took out his screwdriver and aimed it at the computer. "I'm overriding it."  
The bug flew down again, swooping over the tractor, which was blocking the door so it couldn't get in. Its wing hit the sprayer, which wasn't attached very securely and fell off, clattering to the ground.  
"Nuts!" yelled Georda. She ran out to lift it back up onto the tractor.  
"Georda, no!" the Doctor yelled, his attention half on the computer. It beeped happily and he sprinted over to turn on the gas.  
Georda pushed the bug away with the sprayer and turned to climb the tractor. The Culcidonomus kept stabbing at her with its large proboscis. She dodged a few times, but then one swoop caused her to lose her balance and fall off of the tractor. She landed on the ground with a thud. The sprayer landed on top of her just as the gas started spraying out.  
The Culcidonomus wasted no time. It stabbed directly into her abdomen and started sucking. Georda screamed and flayed for a moment, but then was still.  
The Doctor grabbed a piece of pipe and ran to the bug, swinging, but he could hardly see in the thick cloud. Something large hit him and knocked him down.  
He climbed out from underneath. It was the Culcidonomus, dead from the pesticide. He followed the carcass to find Georda. With a few strong pulls, he yanked the bug's sucker out of her body. He picked her up and carried her clear of the cloud.  
When he was at a safe distance, he ripped their masks off. "Georda!" he shouted. "Listen to me!"  
Georda's eyes flickered open, but were unfocused.  
"Listen to me," he said urgently. "You're going to regenerate now." His mind raced. How could he explain this? Growing up on Gallifrey, everyone knew what regeneration was. They read about it, talked about it, and had probably witnessed friends and family members regenerating once or twice. But Georda had no idea what she was capable of. "It's going to feel like..." he struggled to find words. "...like you're going to explode. You need to sort of, go along with it. Just...explode." He shook his head. That didn't describe it at all. "It doesn't hurt," he lied.  
Georda's eyes started to close again.  
"No!" the Doctor shouted. "Come on! Fight! Your family needs you! Don't give up!"  
Georda lay very still. The Doctor hung his head.  
Suddenly Georda's head flew back and her body was engulfed in yellow-white light. Cackling victoriously, the Doctor flung himself back to stay clear of her regeneration. "Good girl!" he yelled. "That's it!"  
In a moment, the light faded and a small, dark haired girl sat on the ground, looking around in confusion. The Doctor got to her first, although everyone from the common house was close behind.  
"What happened?" she asked.  
"You were dying," the Doctor said. "But Time Lords have some ways to work around that." He helped her up as her parents ran up to her, then stopped.  
"It's Georda," the Doctor reassured them. "She saved everyone."  
Edele looked at the Doctor, then again at Georda. Finally, she just opened her arms and embraced her daughter.

A few hours later, after Georda had gotten some rest and the Doctor explained to her why she looked completely different, she walked her new friends to the TARDIS.  
"I left a few things in your shed," the Doctor said. "Some books about Gallifrey, some medical information. You've got lots of reading to do."  
Georda smiled. Her new green eyes were much more intense than her brown eyes had been. "Thanks. I've got a lot to learn. I just wish you could stay."  
The Doctor looked around at this desolate planet. He couldn't get away soon enough. "Yeah, well, I'm afraid I have other things to do. I fixed your beacon, though," he added. "Narrowed the beam just to the TARDIS, so if you need me, you can call me again."  
"She isn't coming with us?" Mickey asked. Everyone looked at him. "I just thought, you know..." He trailed off.  
"Oh no," the Doctor answered. "She's far too young for time travel."  
"Too young?" Mickey asked. He turned to Georda. "Aren't you twenty-eight?"  
"Mickey," the Doctor said. "A twenty-eight year old Time Lord is about the equivalent of an eleven year old human."  
Mickey looked a little ill at that. Rose just burst out laughing. Even the Doctor smiled, although Georda looked a little confused. Rose pushed Mickey into the TARDIS and gave Georda a quick hug goodbye.  
The Doctor turned to go in, and then stopped. "Oh, one more thing," he said. "I did a little research, and I think I know who your parents were. Their names were Emmiler and Daniedra. They were teachers. I put their pictures with all the information in your shed."  
Georda beamed. "Thank you, Doctor. For everything."  
"Good luck," he said and went inside.  
Georda stood for a while after the TARDIS disappeared. Then she turned to face the common house. Everyone was cleaning and disinfecting the entire place. She had work to do.  
The TARDIS tumbled on through time, as the two remaining Time Lords were both exactly where they belonged.


End file.
